It must be strange for a mountain to look at humans and the way they go around, their limbs and eyes blurred by their desire and movement. And their inability to sit still in the one place.
~ John O’Donohue, Walking in Wonder
“It was the noisiest silent retreat I’ve ever been to,” I told my family.
Having had the privilege of trying out a variety of silent meditation retreat “flavors” over the years, my recent week-long experience as a participant in Mark Coleman’s Awake in the Wild retreat at the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Meditation Center in Colorado was, indeed, rarely silent.
I never realized just how chattery Nature is when you stop to really listen. Or when you walk slowly enough to be fully present with the symphony of sound, sight, and sensory experience the natural world offers us each and every day, in every moment. Spending a week alternating between sitting and walking meditation in Nature is, indeed, extraordinarily sound-filled, even when human conversation is not in the mix.
Intentions
My personal intentions in choosing this particular retreat were to:
1. Lean into the negative story about “bad weather” that has crept into my decision making in recent years (I often stay inside if I think the weather isn’t “nice enough” — an attitude that doesn’t serve my nature photography purpose work).
2. Completely unplug for a week of intensive mindfulness practice, which has become an annual priority for me personally and professionally.
3. Learn from a wise, globally renowned teacher whose work I have been following for a couple of years.
4. Practice with like-minded journeyers.
5. Immerse myself in the restorative power of the mountains, where I always feel most alive, aligned, and inspired.
Teachers
I thought Mark would be teaching on his own. Not included in the retreat’s instructor bio section were the rest of the impactful teacher team: Birds, Critters, Trees, Wind, Thunder, Lightening, Sun, Stone, Stream, Wild Flowers, Mountains, Sky.
Some of our participants had a gentle moose mama and baby teacher team visit their camping sites by the stream. I did not have the honor of meeting them, but felt gratitude to briefly share the same land. And no, I did not have another bear encounter.
Some of Nature’s teachers were fierce and deeply transformative (shout out to Wind, Thunder, and Lightening), providing me with almost comical opportunities to observe how the story in my head was much worse than the reality of the present moment. Wind, for example, sounded much louder inside my tent and inside the lodge (amplified by the story in my head) than it did outside. Retreat Intention #1 – CHECK!
Takeaways
Taming and releasing thoughts that don’t serve me (empowering!); intentionally attuning to joy, gratitude, wonder, and awe; exploring and truly experiencing the fact that we are not just “on the earth” but “of the earth” are just a few of the strengthened skills that I brought home from Colorado.
The most awesome takeaway was that you don’t need to escape to a mountain to use these techniques. Your own back yard, a park bench, or a gentle walk outside will suffice.
I will be sharing more of the lessons and practices I’ve added to my toolbox in my upcoming 15-Day Meditation Refresh Program. Our kick-off connection call is on Tuesday, July 5, at 12:30 pm ET, with our official Day 1 on Wednesday, July 6. You can choose between 7 am ET or 10 am ET sessions, and even switch between the two throughout the session.
Learn more and register here. Questions? Just give me a shout.
All meditation levels are welcome, from newbies to experienced practitioners who are looking to reboot and/or practice in community from the comfort of your own home.
I can’t wait to reconnect with our community of morning meditators, my personal bucket so recently filled with the magical energy that arises with shared intensive practice in Nature.
